A Word from Faculty Director Nicholas Jenkins

"In the beginning was the Word..." - writing, reading, speaking, listening lie at the very heart of what it means to exist effectively in the world. At a great and very large university such as Stanford, the skill of effective communication takes many forms in many different disciplinary contexts. But in virtually every discipline the capacity to produce clear, well-organized writing and to speak cogently is crucial.

In that respect, the premium placed here on skillful communication is only a particular instance of the general value that contemporary society assigns to effective communicators. But don't take my word for it. Listen to President Hennessy: "[In college] we had a notion that engineers had to know how to use slide rules or calculators or computers but not how to write.  And that is the biggest falsehood you could possibly perpetrate on young people. I think writing and rhetoric--public speaking--are the two most valuable skills across any discipline in any field."

And listen to Larry Kramer, Dean of the Stanford Law School: "Writing skills are absolutely critical. That's true for any profession." For almost all Stanford students, whether they become engineers or classicists, physicists or journalists, writing is for life.

I encourage all Stanford students to write copiously in classes and out. One can always compose more, one can always speak more succinctly and write more sharply. Everyone, even the best amongst us, can always kick their writing up a gear. And the stronger you get as a communicator, the more successful you will be. Test yourself as a writer. Expand your ambitions. Write with your audience in mind. But also write for yourself. Professionally, personally, intellectually, it will pay off. And if you have questions or comments about the program, of course -- write to me.